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Time to vote out corruption

Note: These remarks were delivered by the DA Northern Cape Premier Candidate, Andrew Louw, at a protest against corruption, outside the Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley, where John Block and co-accused appeared on fraud and corruption charges.

The DA is protesting outside the Kimberley High Court where John Block, Alvin Botes and Yolande Botha have appeared for their roles in the Trifecta fraud and money laundering case involving millions of Rands worth of taxpayers’ money.

The DA’s blue presence demonstrates our zero tolerance approach towards such corruption. It is corruption like this which:

weakens democratic institutions;

slows economic development;

siphons money away from public spending; and

undermines both the availability and quality of government led services.

The people of the Northern Cape do not wish to see government institutions being complicit to fraud and criminal activity.

The DA again call for the removal of Northern Cape ANC Chairperson and MEC of Economic Development, John Block, as well as MEC of COGHTA, Alvin Botes, from the provincial leadership, and for the removal of Yolande Botha from national parliament.

This is the right thing to do!

But ironically, this is exactly what the ANC will not do!

The ANC under Jacob Zuma seems to be rewarding people for their involvement in corruption, instead of punishing them for it.

South Africa’s slide down the Corruption Perception Index rankings has accelerated under the leadership of ANC’s Zuma. South Africa dropped 14 places on the index between 2009 and 2012.

The ANC’s so-called commitment to anti-corruption initiatives is hypocritical and cannot be taken seriously.

The reality is that the ANC cannot commit to the fight against corruption when their very own leader, President Jacob Zuma, does everything possible to avoid having to answer for over 700 charges of corruption in a court of law.

This is shameful.

The ANC has no political will to fight corruption, especially not in the Northern Cape.

The DA has had enough of politicians diverting public funds away from service delivery into their back pockets.

It’s time to show our outrage at the fact that the ANC chooses to keep politicians like John Block, Alvin Botes and Yolande Botha on the government’s payroll.

It’s time to show our disgust at the fact that, despite their dubious track records and the criminal charges they face, the ANC has placed the infamous threesome high up on its provincial and national candidate lists.

Instead of trying to justify the indefensible, the ANC now needs to be at the forefront of holding its leaders to account for corruption and maladministration.

Failing to do so will not only undermine Mandela’s proud legacy, but will also further damage South Africa’s prospects of solving its most pressing problems of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

The DA, however, knows that the ANC will not take the necessary action to halt graft.

The DA therefore calls on every member of the public to use their right and their power to vote out a corrupt government.

The time has come for the people of the Northern Cape to be free of a corrupt ANC government.

This is critical, as eliminating corruption will enable better job creation.

A DA government in the Northern Cape would ensure that we curb corruption through effective financial management and limiting opportunities for corrupt procurement practices.

The DA will pass laws preventing public servants from doing business with government, and tighten perks for politicians.

These are not empty promises of action but are standard practise where the DA already governs.

To achieve them here in the Northern Cape, to stop corruption under Zuma’s ANC and John, we need your support.

With your support, we can win.

With your support, we can end corruption in the Northern Cape.

With your support, we can vote out Block and the other corrupt officials.

On 7 May, a vote for the DA is a vote against corruption for a better government, better service delivery and prosperity.